Birla Mandir, Jaipur
Birla Mandir Hindu temple located in Jaipur, India
26°53′32″N 75°48′56″E / 26.8921°N 75.8155°E / 26.8921; 75.8155
Birla Mandir, Jaipur (Lakshmi Narayan Temple) is a Hindu temple located in Jaipur, India[1] and is one of many Birla mandirs.[2] It was built by the B.M. Birla Foundation in 1988 and is constructed solely of white marble.[3] It is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi and god Vishnu (Narayan),[4] whose images appear inside, along with other Hindu gods and goddesses and selections from the Gita and Upanishads.[3] It is located in Jaipur's Tilak Nagar neighborhood near Moti Dungari hill.[5]
History
Tradition states that a Maharaja sold the Birla family the land for the temple for one rupee.[3][6][7] Construction began in 1977 under the direction Ramanauj Das and Ghanshyam Birla.[8] It opened on February 22, 1988.[9]
Architecture
The temple is made of white marble. There are four distinct parts of the temple: its sanctum, tower, main hall, and entrance.[10] It has three towers, referencing the three main faiths of India,[3] as well as stained glass windows depicting traditional Hindu stories.[4] Marble sculptures[1] also reference Hindu mythology.[11] It features Hindu deities inside - particularly Lakshmi, Narayan, and Ganesh[4] - and figures such as Christ, the Virgin Mary, St. Peter, Buddha, Confucius, and Socrates on the outer walls.[2][12][10] Statues of its founders - Rukmani Devi Birla and Braj Mohan Birla - lie outdoors in covered pavilions, facing the temple with hands folded in namaskāra mudra.[10] Its architectural style is considered to be modern.[3] It was built on a raised platform, which lifts it up into the Jaipur skyline; at night, it becomes covered in light.[11] In addition to the temple itself, the grounds include gardens[2] and a small gift shop.[1] Below the temple lies the B. M. Birla Family Museum and the Sri and Smt. G. P. Birla Gallery; both contain photographs of the temple's construction and the Birla family's philanthropic contributions, as well as treasures belonging to the Birla family.[10]
Gallery
References
- ^ a b c "Birla Mandir". Times of India Travel. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ a b c "Birla Mandir". India News, Breaking News, Entertainment News | India.com. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Birla Temple Jaipur Rajasthan". www.jaipur.org.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ a b c "Birla Temple Jaipur- Birla Mandir Jaipur, Laxmi Narayan Mandir Jaipur India, Birla Temple Rajasthan India". www.culturalindia.net. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ Das, Joydip (2015). Jaipur Pocket Travel Guide. Bluworlds Guides. p. 12.
- ^ "Birla Mandir Jaipur, History, Facts and Story of Birla Temple". www.indialine.com. Archived from the original on 17 September 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ "Laxmi Narayan Temple / Birla Mandir Jaipur, India (Timings, History, Entry Fee, Images, Aarti, Location & Phone) - Jaipur Tourism 2020". jaipurtourism.co.in. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ Sethi, Ankit (11 February 2018). "Birla Mandir Jaipur - Temple Lakshmi Narayan, Timings, History". Mysterioustrip. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ Harshwal, Prateek (13 April 2018). "Birla Mandir Jaipur - A Must Visit White Marble Structure in All Pink City". Jaipur City Travel Guide: Pink City Heritage, Food, Shopping, much more. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
- ^ a b c d Kudelska, Marta; Staszczyk, Agnieszka; Świerzowska, Agata (2016). "Birla Mandirs – The contemporary Hindu temple complexes as an example of modernization by going back to tradition – 2015 fieldwork report". The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. 1: 151–156 – via CEEOL.
- ^ a b "Incredible India | Birla Temple". www.incredibleindia.org. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- ^ City, Siliconindia Travel. "The Birla Temple Jaipur, Rajasthan". siliconindia. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
External links
- Laxmi Narayan Birla Temple Archived 5 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine
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